Ketchup Leather

“Don’t mess with my ketchup” is what my wife told me. And yeah, usually I do listen. But not this time. I was going to make ketchup leather no matter what. And you know what? When we’d finished off our hot-off-the-grill burgers topped with ketchup leather my wife said “Ok, you can mess with my ketchup anytime.”

Ketchup Leather

Differently Better

Ketchup leather makes ketchup on burgers an even better thing. Tastes like ketchup. Looks like a Fruit Roll-Up. But here’s the cool part (besides the wow factor). It doesn’t leak out of your burger. If you’re like me, you’re not shy when squeezing ketchup onto your burger. But the more toppings and the more ketchup, the more that squeezes out. Dripping all over the place and eventually leading to a burger disaster. Not with ketchup leather. Everything stays right where it belongs.

Make a big batch and keep them in the fridge for the next time you make burgers. I really enjoyed it on our copycat of Red Robin’s Royal Red Robin burger.

Ketchup Leather
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3 from 3 votes

Ketchup Leather

When we’d finished off our hot-off-the-grill burgers topped with ketchup leather my wife said “Ok, you can mess with my ketchup anytime.”
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword dehydrator, ketchup
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings 1 cup
Calories 538kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 cups ketchup
  • Your favorite seasoning cracked black pepper is my favorite

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 170 F.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Spray the paper with non-stick spray.
  • Squeeze the ketchup out onto the parchment paper.
  • Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, spread it out evenly. You don't want it too thick, but you don't want it too thin either.
  • Place in the oven for 3 hours.
  • Let cool completely before cutting into squares or circles for use on burgers.

Notes

Store any leftover in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 538kcal | Carbohydrates: 126g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 4354mg | Potassium: 1512mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 104g | Vitamin A: 2462IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Hot Pepper Jelly BBQ Sauce

Oh, what a wonderful BBQ sauce this hot pepper jelly BBQ sauce is. It has the perfect consistency. Not too runny, not too gloppy. Consistency is important. A small bit of heat and a little tang from vinegar and mustard. Perfect for any pork BBQ dish. For me that means smoked baby back ribs. But it’s great on pulled pork, brisket, chicken… you name it! Any time you want a bit of heat (which for me is always), this is the BBQ sauce you should make and use.

Hot Pepper Jelly BBQ Sauce

Don’t Fear The Heat

You can substitute any kind of jelly for the hot pepper jelly, really. It doesn’t have to be a pepper-based jelly. You can even use the ‘classics’ like grape or strawberry. But don’t be afraid of hot pepper jelly. Out of the jar, sure, it’s got some kick. It’s supposed to have some! But in this hot pepper jelly BBQ sauce that heat gets a little mellowed. You still get great pepper flavor though. It’s still a great sauce whether you use hot jelly, mild jelly or ‘classic’ jelly! Just slather it on your meat good and thick and dig in!

Want something even spicier? Try my atomic BBQ sauce on ribs.

Hot Pepper Jelly BBQ Sauce
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5 from 1 vote

Hot Pepper Jelly BBQ Sauce

Oh, what a wonderful BBQ sauce this hot pepper jelly BBQ sauce is. It has the perfect consistency. Not too runny, not too gloppy. A small bit of heat and a little tang from vinegar and mustard. 
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword barbecue, BBQ, sauce, spicy
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 2 cups
Calories 482kcal
Author Mike

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat.
  • Whisk until all ingredients are combined.

Notes

Stir before serving. Refrigerate any unused sauce and reheat before using.

Nutrition

Calories: 482kcal | Carbohydrates: 116g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1110mg | Potassium: 535mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 83g | Vitamin A: 481IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Copycat Jimmy John’s Avocado Sandwich Spread

Sometimes you just need a little reminder to step outside of your box of usual sandwich spreads and use something you might not think of. This copycat of the avocado sandwich spread from Jimmy John’s is essentially guacamole with a few twists thrown in. It’s fantastic on a sandwich and for that matter, equally as great as a dip for tortilla chips. That’s why I doubled the recipe. Sandwiches and chips. Lunch is done.

Copycat Jimmy John's Avocado Sandwich Spread

A Little Heat Never Hurts

Every sandwich needs a little spiciness in my opinion. Which is why I was happy that this copycat Jimmy John’s avocado sandwich spread includes a jalapeno. Now, granted, it’s a small jalapeno so you’re not going to get overwhelming heat. But you don’t want that kick to be front-and-center. Just there, in the back. Noticed but not overwhelming. This spread is excellent on my copycat of Jason’s Deli California Club sandwich.

Nice-n-Creamy

Use your food processor (or blender) to get the spread to the consistency you want. You aren’t making chunky guacamole, so I would say keep going until it’s creamy smooth. It’s up to you. You do want it to be spreadable. Once it’s creamy you can’t go back and un-creamy it, so stop every few seconds or so and test it.

Also try my spicy avocado salad dressing.

Copycat Jimmy John's Avocado Sandwich Spread
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4 from 5 votes

Copycat Jimmy John’s Avocado Sandwich Spread

This copycat of the avocado sandwich spread from Jimmy John’s is essentially guacamole with a few twists thrown in. 
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword avocado, sandwich, sauce
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 178kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 small jalapeno pepper seeded, chopped
  • 1 medium white onion chopped
  • 1 clove garlic chopped
  • 1 Roma tomato chopped
  • 2 medium avocados peeled, pitted, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • teaspoon dry mustard

Instructions

  • Place the jalapeno, onion, garlic and tomato into a blender or food processor. Process until smooth.
  • Place avocado into a large bowl. Drizzle with the lime juice and smash with the back of a fork. Transfer to the blender.
  • Add the salt and mustard to the blender and pulse until the mixture reaches the desired thickness.
  • Slather on bread for sandwiches. If you do have any extra spread it makes for a great chip dip!

Notes

Stir well before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 178kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 445mg | Potassium: 581mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 316IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Avocado Ranch Dressing

I love when avocados are in season here. They’re perfect on a salad, be it sliced, chopped or in the dressing itself. This avocado Ranch dressing is quite easy to make. It packs a nice subtle avocado flavor, with the wonderful creamy herb flavor of Ranch. It has a very mild spiciness to it too. You can make it spicier if you like, or leave out the hot sauce entirely. I like my dressing pretty thick, so that’s how I made it. But if you prefer yours a little thinner, just add some more milk.

Avocado Ranch Dressing

Thick Enough For A Dip

Avocado Ranch dressing isn’t just for salads either. It’s perfect as a dip, or use it as a substitute for sour cream on tacos or nachos. It’s also great as a sandwich spread. Just make it a little thicker then spread on bread. Add your favorite sandwich meat and boom, excellent!

Feel free to use different kinds of hot sauce besides the ‘usual’. Go smoky, or super hot, or lime-infused… whatever works for you!

Check out my new site, Dress My Salad, for more great salad dressing ideas!

For a little more kick, try my jalapeno ranch dressing.

Avocado Ranch Dressing
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5 from 1 vote

Avocado Ranch Dressing

This avocado Ranch dressing is quite easy to make. It packs a nice subtle avocado flavor, with the wonderful creamy herb flavor of Ranch.
Course Salad Dressing
Cuisine American
Keyword homemade salad dressing
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 cups
Calories 531kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Scoop out the avocado and place into a blender or food processor.
  • Add remaining ingredients except salt and process until smooth.
  • Taste, add salt as needed, and pulse a few more times to mix.
  • Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Notes

If the dressing gets too thick, stir in a bit more milk before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 531kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 753mg | Potassium: 632mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 410IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Basic BBQ Rub

When I make a batch of this basic BBQ rub I don’t just make a little ole container full. No, I make a bunch of it. A whole lot. That’s because I use it on just about every piece of meat that I throw onto my trusty old smoker. It shines best on beef and pork, adding a bit of sweetness and a bit of heat. And though it contains coffee and lemon pepper the flavors from those two ingredients don’t jump out and scream at your taste buds. They’re there though, working perfectly with the rest of the flavors. This is truly a great all-around rub.

Basic BBQ Rub

Ray Lampe Knows BBQ

The idea for this basic BBQ rub came from Ray Lampe’s book, Slow Fire: The Beginner’s Guide to Lip Smacking Barbecue. The book is full of great recipes and stories and ideas, just like this one. This rub can be used as-is or as a great jumping-off point for making your own rub. Play with the ratios to suit your tastes. For example, don’t use regular paprika just use only smoked paprika for a much stronger smoke flavor. Smoked paprika is perfect for seasoning foods cooked in doors where you won’t get a strong wood flavor. Or add more heat. Or leave out the heat. It’s a very versatile rub.

Also try my basic BBQ sauce. Like this rub, it’s great as is or use it as a base for your own flavors.

Basic BBQ Rub
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5 from 1 vote

Basic BBQ Rub

When I make a batch of this basic BBQ rub I don’t just make a little ole container full. No, I make a bunch of it. A whole lot. 
Course Spice Rub
Cuisine American
Keyword BBQ, rub
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 12 ounces
Calories 42kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Notes

Add more cayenne for more heat.

Nutrition

Calories: 42kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 4749mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 818IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Cherry Sauce Glazed Ham

I used to think it would be wrong to just have ham for dinner. This cherry sauce glazed ham made me think it would actually be ok to just sit down to a plate of ham and get at it. I didn’t, but I could have. The tartness of the cherries and the sweetness of the honey, along with a few spices, make each bite fantastic. Even a cheap ham becomes something decadent after being glazed with the sauce.

Cherry Sauce Glazed Ham

Try Other Things, But Don’t Go Sweet

I think you could try something other than cherry preserves to make the sauce for this cherry sauce glazed ham, if you wanted to. You’d want something that isn’t so sweet, though, such as cranberry or pomegranates.

You’ll want to make my bacon-glazed spiral ham and Sriracha honey ham too! My pepper onion beer sauce makes for a great topping for ham!

Cherry Sauce Glazed Ham
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5 from 1 vote

Cherry Sauce Glazed Ham

This cherry sauce glazed ham made me think it would actually be ok to just sit down to a plate of ham and get at it. I didn’t, but I could have. 
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword ham
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 1643kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 225 F.
  • Remove heat from packaging, discarding the glaze, and place face down in a roasting pan (you’ll want to use one that’s at least 1″ deep because there’ll be accumulating juices).
  • Cover pan with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 135 F.
  • Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
  • Brush glaze over the ham and let cook another 5 minutes.
  • Remove ham from oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before slicing.
  • Serve remaining warm glaze on the side for drizzling of the sliced ham.

Notes

Use a hot honey for a gentle kiss of heat.

Nutrition

Calories: 1643kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 144g | Fat: 112g | Saturated Fat: 40g | Cholesterol: 413mg | Sodium: 7963mg | Potassium: 1913mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Smoked Sea Salt

After smoking peppercorns, the next logical thing to smoke was salt. I love smoked sea salt, it really adds a nice slightly smoky flavor to dishes. If you have your smoker already fired up for other things, such as pork butt or brisket or ribs, you often have a little space leftover. No point in wasting all that great smoke, just add some sea salt to a pan and place it on the smoker until it starts to darken in color.

Smoked Sea Salt

Easy And Well Worth The Effort

I actually used a mix of Himalayan pink salt and coarse sea salt. The textures between the two are slightly different, and they brought different colors to the final mix of smoked salts. I keep the smoked salt in an air-tight container right by my prep area. I still keep a salt pig nearby for those dishes where I don’t want that addition of smoke in my salt.

Also try smoking some peppercorns. You can put them on your smoker at the same time that you’re smoking sea salt.

Smoked Sea Salt
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5 from 1 vote

Smoked Sea Salt

I love smoked sea salt, it really adds a nice slightly smoky flavor to dishes.
Course Seasoning
Cuisine American
Keyword salt, smoked
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours
Servings 1 cup
Calories 1kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Fire up your smoker for 250 F. Use a good amount of wood. You want a good amount of smoke to flavor salt. If your smoker has a water pan, such as a Weber Smokey Mountain, do not add water to the pan.
  • Spread salt out in a 9″ x 5″ pan and place onto the smoker.
  • Smoke for 4-6 hours or until the salt is darker in color.

Notes

Note: I used hickory wood for smoking sea salt. If you plan on using your smoked salt on fish, use alder or cedar instead.

Nutrition

Calories: 1kcal | Sodium: 113173mg | Potassium: 23mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce

I was busy. Way too busy to even think about making a lunch that took more than 5 minutes of my time. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I heated up some pre-made chicken nuggets. Don’t judge me, I had to do it. Plus, truth be told, I like them. I can’t help it. But I wasn’t just going to dip them in ketchup or mustard. No, I took an extra 30 seconds and whisked up a copycat of the Chick-fil-A dipping sauce and tossed it into the fridge so that the flavors got happy while the chicken was heating.

Copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce

Make It Spicy

For a nice twist on this copycat Chick-fil-A sauce swap out a spicy BBQ sauce for the smoky hickory BBQ sauce. Or just add a few splashes of hot sauce to the recipe below. Just because it’s a copycat doesn’t mean you can’t change it up a bit to suit your tastes.

Love chicken fingers like I do? Try my copycat KFC Twisters.

Copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce
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5 from 1 vote

Copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce

For a nice twist on this Chick-fil-A sauce swap out a spicy BBQ sauce for the smoky hickory BBQ sauce.
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken, copycat, sauce
Prep Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 1
Calories 927kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.
  • Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using as a dip for chicken fingers, fries, or just slathering on burgers!

Notes

Stir well before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 927kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 84g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 1006mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 119IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Ross’ Pool Room Hot Bologna Sauce

I don’t know Ross, and I’ve never been to his pool room. I came across this recipe for hot bologna sauce on a grilling group on Facebook. And I knew instantly it was something I needed to make. Bologna burgers (or sandwiches) are an awesome thing, and something I love to make, from Ross’ Pool Room Bologna burgers to my smoked bologna sandwiches and Cleveland fried bologna sandwiches. Ross’ Pool Room hot bologna sauce brings a nice spicy, tomato-based punch to bologna burgers. It’s also great on hot dogs, hamburgers, and grilled chicken.

Hot Bologna Sauce

My Kinda Joint. My Kinda Food.

Apparently Ross’ Pool Room was once (I cannot find it on Google) a place in West Virginia. It sounds like my kind of place. Pool, music, and great simple food, like bologna sandwiches or burgers.

I adapted this recipe for Ross’ Pool Room hot bologna sauce from what appeared to be the restaurant’s original recipe, which made a big batch. You’ll still get 2 cups out of my version, plenty for a number of sandwiches or southern bologna burgers.

If you happen to be in Nashville, Indiana, I recommend that you swing by Our Sandwich Place on South Van Buren Street and grab yourself a Larry’s Triple Bologna and Cheese Triple Decker sandwich. Now, it doesn’t come with hot bologna sauce, but it’s a mighty respectable and tasty bologna sandwich for sure!

Pool Room Bologna Burgers
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5 from 1 vote

Ross’ Pool Room Hot Bologna Sauce

I don’t know Ross, and I’ve never been to his pool room. I came across this recipe for hot bologna sauce, and instantly knew it was something I needed to make
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword bologna, sandwich, sauce
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 2 cups
Calories 364kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Whisk together all ingredients.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

Refrigerate until ready to use. Great on bologna sandwiches and hot dogs.

Nutrition

Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2490mg | Potassium: 487mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 68g | Vitamin A: 629IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Wild Wings Dipping Sauce

Visit my other site, For The Wing, for all things chicken-wing!

If it has blue cheese in it and my wife likes it, it’s not just good, it’s amazing. This wild wings dipping sauce has (you guessed it) tons of blue cheese in it but it has the perfect balance of that blue cheese funkiness, creaminess, and even a hint of smokiness. There was a whole lot of happy moaning as we dipped hot-off-the-grill buffalo wings into the sauce. It tamed the spicy wings perfectly.

Wild Wings Dipping Sauce

Great For More Than Wings

This wild wings dipping sauce is also fantastic as a dip for chips or crackers, too, so make a big huge batch of it. And don’t be afraid to add more of the seasoning than I state below. It adds just a hint of smokiness and heat to the dipping sauce, but not much. It’s there, it just doesn’t jump out at you (unless you want it to).

I use these little dipping cups for serving my dipping sauces. They’re the perfect size for dipping wings, nuggets, tenders and even vegetables. And they’re easy to clean, too!

Also try my blue cheese dip.

Wild Wings Dipping Sauce
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5 from 1 vote

Wild Wings Dipping Sauce

This wild wings dipping sauce has (you guessed it) tons of blue cheese in it but it has the perfect balance of that blue cheese funkiness, creaminess, and even a hint of smokiness.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword dipping sauce, wings
Prep Time 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours
Servings 2 cups
Calories 410kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients.
  • Cover and refrigerate overnight. Stir before using.

Notes

This recipe makes enough sauce for 2 family packs of wings, which is usually 6-8 pounds

Nutrition

Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 1142mg | Potassium: 321mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1225IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 377mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.